The River Valley Dust Devils will take on the ALA - West Foothills Guardians at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
River Valley will bounce into Friday's contest after beating Chino Valley, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. River Valley was the clear victor by an 8-2 margin over Chino Valley on Tuesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Dust Devils.
Mickey Gonzalez was excellent, going 1-for-4 with one home run and two runs. Jeremiah Putt was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-1.
Gonzalez wasn't the only one working in the home run department: River Valley lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since back in March of 2024.
Meanwhile, ALA - West Foothills never let their opponents score on Tuesday. They blew past Highland Prep 15-0.
Lucas Brittan made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March of 2024. He was even better at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one triple. That triple was his first of the season.
In other pitching news, Parker Schmidt looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single walk, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Johnny Garcia, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. He is becoming a predictor of ALA - West Foothills' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-3 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Jaxson Garvey, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
ALA - West Foothills is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.4 runs over those games. River Valley's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-2-2.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. River Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .357. However, it's not like ALA - West Foothills struggles in that department as they've averaged .323. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
River Valley came out on top in a nail-biter against ALA - West Foothills in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, sneaking past 3-1. Will River Valley repeat their success, or does ALA - West Foothills has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
